Rose's Baby
by OnceuponaWizard
Summary: Takes place in an AU where, during the episode Doomsday, Rose realizes that she's pregnant with the Doctor's child. Rated M for smut later on.
1. Chapter 1

It had been the worst day of her life. She was haunted with nightmares from that day; she could see the look on the Doctor's face as she was pulled toward the void, the look of despair of losing the one he loved.

She could hear him calling out to her in her dreams, and often times she would wake and find herself reaching out in front of her, grasping toward a man who isn't there. Those nights were the worst; her heart, full of hope for a split second, would sink down to her stomach as she realized that she would never be held by those arms again.

To make matters worse, she had been sick as of late. She would wake in the early morning, tired from the emotionally exhausting dreams haunting here, only to have to run to the loo to vomit. She was always tired, though she reckoned this was from the dreams rather than the illness. Her back was achy and sore, and she seemed to be getting headaches more and more. Perhaps the pain of losing the love of her life was manifesting itself in her illness; it was as if the emotional pain wasn't strong enough to convey the loss she felt – no, her body had to hurt, too.

Rose awoke reaching out for her Doctor yet again. For a millisecond, she was happy. However, her happiness quickly faded to despair as she realized that she was not standing in the TARDIS with him – she was not even in the same universe as him. Tears began rolling down her face as she clutched her pillow and screamed into it. Why couldn't she have become a cyberman that day? She could live without happiness and hope, but living with this pain and despair was too much for her.

Her mother came rushing into the room, but was not surprised by the sight of her daughter writhing on the bed, sobbing. It was a sight she had become accustomed to. She sat on the bed next to her daughter, wishing there was some way to ease the pain. But she knew the pain of losing a man she loved. But she had gotten another chance with Pete. According to the Doctor, Rose would never get to see him again.

Jackie began gently rubbing Rose's back as she had when Rose was a toddler. But Jackie also knew that the pain Rose was feeling was not the same as that of the bumped heads and broken crayons of Rose's toddler days. This pain was enough to cripple someone, enough to leave them broken. And Jackie knew she was entirely unprepared to help her daughter through it.

Jackie's train of thought was broken as her daughter quickly sprang out of bed and into the hallway. She followed and saw Rose running into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Jackie slumped against the wall as she listened to the sound of her daughter retching. She wondered if there was a pain so horrible, so crippling that could make a person physically ill. When she had lost Pete, she had the dreams of him being alive, and nightmares of his death, and bouts of uncontrollable crying, but she had never been sick. In fact, the only time she had even been sick was when she was pregnant with Rose…

_No. That couldn't be it, right? Was that even possible? He wasn't human. He was an alien._ Jackie's mind raced. Could her daughter be pregnant with the Doctor's child? They had travelled together for so long – who knows what went on in that spaceship with all of those secret rooms?

Jackie slowly opened the door of the bathroom, revealing the sight of her daughter curled on the tile floor of the bathroom, holding her stomach and sobbing. She walked over and sat beside her on the floor.

"Rose, sweetheart," Jackie began. She wasn't sure how to approach the subject. It seemed a little tactless to ask her daughter if she'd been having sex with aliens. She tried a more roundabout way of asking. "Have you been… regular… lately?"

"What do you mean, regular? I've just had my life torn apart," Rose said between sobs. "How can anything be regular after that?"

"No sweetheart, I mean…" Jackie's voice trailed off. Her heart pounded as she braced herself for the question she did not want to ask. "I mean, have you been getting your period?"

"Well, no," Rose spoke softly. "But I've heard that grief can do that to a woman. Right?"

"Sweetie, is there any chance," Jackie began. Rose wasn't getting it. "Is there any chance that you are… pregnant?"

Rose's eyes widened at the word._ Oh, God_. She thought. She hadn't considered that. But now that her mother mentioned it, all those nights in the TARDIS… she supposed she could very well be carrying a tiny half-human half-time lord. With this realization, she began sobbing, more feverishly and hysterically than she had been before. She rubbed her stomach, realizing the weight of the situation. She would have to raise this child by herself; this little person would never know his or her father. But at least she would have a piece of the Doctor for her own.

Jackie held her sobbing daughter. Even without being told, she knew what those sobs meant. She was going to be a grandmother.


	2. Chapter 2

***This chapter contains smut. If you will be offended by it, skip this chapter***

Back, tucked into her bed, Rose's sobs began to fade. She rubbed her lower stomach, caressing the infant that was growing inside. How had she not recognized the signs? She wasn't ill – no, she was showing all of the signs of early pregnancy, but was too distracted by her loss to realize.

Even though her heart was heavy with the pain of her loss, she began to feel a glimmer of hope in the future. There was a piece of the Doctor inside her; a manifestation of their love for each other was growing in her body. She rubbed her belly once more, thinking of the first time.

* * *

Rose pulled out a dress and tossed it aside. "Too 50's," she mumbled to herself. The expansiveness of the wardrobe in the TARDIS always amazed her, but then again, the Doctor had all of 900 years to collect a piece of clothing from each century on each planet that he had visited in his travels.

Her favorite Union Jack tee and jeans were in the washing machine down in the laundry room of the TARDIS; they were covered in a foul slime from yet another encounter with the Slitheen. She was wrapped in a towel, her wet hair hanging loosely around her shoulders, emitting a fresh scent of lavender. It had taken nearly an hour in the shower to get the green gunk out of her hair.

Rose found a pair of jeans and black tank top that suited her needs. She let the towel fall from beneath her arms as she started to dress herself.

"Rose, have you seen my psychic paper?" Rose dropped her clothes and scrambled to find the towel she had dropped as she heard the Doctor approaching. The doorknob turned just as she seized it. "It's not in my – oh."

Rose flushed. The Doctor must've gotten a glimpse of her naked body; she didn't think she'd gotten the towel draped around herself in time.

"No, I haven't, sorry," she replied, trying to sound casual despite her heart rapidly beating in her chest. "Something wrong?" she questioned, noticing the dumbstruck look on the Doctor's face.

"You're naked," the Doctor said stupidly, his usual charm switched off by the images flooding his mind.

"Not entirely, mind you," Rose retorted smartly, "Unless you're most recent regeneration gave you x-ray vision and you haven't told me about it." God, she was being stupid – her embarrassment was clouding her judgment.

"You're beautiful," the Doctor whispered. He loved Rose; his feelings for her were stronger than anything else he had experienced in his 900 years. The sight of her naked body had amplified his emotions. He wanted – no, needed – to hold her, to kiss her, to have her.

The look Rose saw in the Doctor's eyes rendered her speechless – she had never seen a stare so intense, and his eyes had never looked so dark. Her heart began beating faster as she realized that the fantasy she played in her mind might be coming true.

The Doctor came toward her and put on hand on the nape of her neck. "My beautiful Rose." His voice was nothing more than a faint breath, as if he were talking to himself and not to her. "I –."

He stopped himself mid-sentence, and for a split second Rose wondered if he had been about to say what she had longed to hear him say since the day she met him. However, her wondering was cut short as the Doctor lowered his lips to hers and kissed her.

It was as if all the air had been sucked out of her lungs; his lips were so soft on hers, his tongue gliding over her lips, light as the touch of a feather. She felt as if her knees were going to give out, and, as if sensing this, the Doctor placed a hand on the small of her back and held her close to him.

The Doctor gently lowered Rose to the floor, carefully ensuring the towel slung around her remained intact as to protect her modesty. The Doctor leaned over her, staring into her beautiful hazel eyes as she peered up into his deep brown ones.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, a look of concern written across his face. He brushed her flowing blonde hair away from her porcelain skin.

"Just kiss me again," Rose said breathily as she tilted her chin up toward the Doctor. He happily obliged, crushing his mouth onto hers. Cautiously, he ran his tongue over her lips, as if asking permission to enter. Rose timidly opened her mouth, allowing him to explore her with his tongue. She could feel the weight of him pressing onto her; his chest against hers, she could feel his hearts beating rapidly. Despite herself, Rose let a soft moan slip from her lungs.

The Doctor felt himself harden at the sound, and he kissed Rose more feverishly. He wanted more; he had imagined making love to Rose thousands of times, but he knew he couldn't. He was a time lord, and she was a human. Rose's life span wouldn't even be a tenth of his; making love to her would only lead to more pain and loneliness for the Doctor in the future.

Still, he reasoned with himself while exploring Rose's mouth with his tongue, he had already fallen in love with her. He was past the point of no return – from the moment he saw her, he could never go back. So, what would be the harm in showing her how much he loved her, even if he couldn't bring himself to say it?

Rose was lost in the sensation of the Doctor's mouth on her own. She could feel herself growing hotter and wetter between her legs; she ached for him to be inside of her.

Timidly, the Doctor eased open the towel that was covering Rose's beautifully naked body. She gasped at his touch, mildly surprised, but then relaxed as she kept passionately kissing the time lord.

The Doctor slid one hand over the silky skin of her breast. Rose moaned and arched into his touch. It was finally happening; all of those nights spent alone, fantasizing about making love to the man – or, time lord – that she loved; they were finally coming true.

Breaking their kiss, the Doctor leaned down and took her nipple into his mouth, still gently caressing her other breast. His tongue danced over the tender tissue, and Rose moaned with pleasure. She could feel that the Doctor was aroused; his erection was pressing into her hip as his tongue played over her skin.

"Doctor," Rose asked breathily, "might we go to the bedroom?"

"What?" the Doctor asked, mildly surprised. "Oh. Right. Bedroom." He paused for a moment. He didn't want to make any assumptions. "And what exactly are we going to do there?"

"Well, continue this, of course," Rose said. She gave him that sexy smile, the one with her tongue poking out between her teeth. As she stood up, she let the towel fall to the floor of the wardrobe. The Doctor, left lying on the floor, stared up at her beautiful form. Her breasts were full and round, and her stomach was long and lean. She had the most beautiful, curvy, womanly hips he had ever seen. He was awestruck.

"Need a hand, Doctor?" she teased, amused by the expression on the Doctor's face. Still staring, he nodded. Rose offered him her hand and helped the Doctor to his feet.

Suddenly, the Doctor scooped up his naked Rose in his arms and walked toward the door of the wardrobe. He hurried down the hallway and kicked open the door to his bedroom. He dropped Rose onto the bed and climbed over her. He was about to place another kiss on Rose's lips when she pushed him back. _Dammit_, the Doctor thought, _so close_.

"Doctor," Rose said in a teasing voice, "doesn't this seem a little bit unfair?" She chuckled at his confused expression. "I'm naked, and you're still wearing your shoes."

The Doctor gave her a sly smile and kicked off his shoes as her hands began to work the top button of his shirt. He pressed his hips against hers, longing to be inside of her. Rose worked the last button and pulled the Doctor's shirt off, revealing the chiseled muscles underneath. She stroked her fingers down his torso, and her hands came to rest on the button of his pants. She grabbed his erection through the fabric. _Rassilion,_ he thought, _this woman is going to kill me._

He crushed himself against Rose as her hands worked the button of his pants. She pulled them down slightly, freeing his throbbing cock. She gasped slightly at the size – was that typical of time lords?

Seeing the expression written across Rose's face, the Doctor gave her a cocky smile. Rose replied by taking his erection into her hand and stroking him gently. The Doctor planted kisses along Rose's collarbone as he slipped a hand between Rose and himself and touched her wet folds.

Rose moaned and arched her back, digging the nails of her free hand into the Doctor's back. The Doctor slipped a finger into her entrance, feeling the wetness that he had created. Rose squirmed at his touch, reveling in the pleasure he was bringing her. His thumb danced over her clit; she moaned and pressed herself against him. "Doctor," she pleaded, "I need you."

His hearts beating with anticipation, he was happy to oblige her need. Positioning himself between her legs, he leaned down to kiss her gently. "Rose," he whispered as he guided his erection to her entrance.

His deep brown eyes staring into her radiant hazel ones, he gently pressed himself into Rose. She closed her eyes and squirmed under him at the sensation of him inside her.

The Doctor's hearts felt as if they might beat out of his chest. Slowly, he began to thrust into her, gently moving in and out of Rose. Her inner muscles were tightly gripping his cock; the sensation was better than he could have possibly imagined.

Rose dug her nails into the Doctor's back and bucked her hips against him. She needed more. "Doctor," she moaned, "More."

Taking her command, he began moving against her, his thrusts rapidly accelerating until he was pushing himself into her at a rate he could hardly tolerate. The look of passion in her eyes was intoxicating; the Doctor had never seen her look more beautiful than she did at that moment.

Rose's moans grew louder and louder as she was nearing the brink of her orgasm. The Doctor slipped a hand between the two of them and began teasing Rose's clit with his fingers. He felt her inner muscles clench around him as she squirmed with the pleasure of her orgasm. "Doctor," she moaned, grinding her hips into his.

Moments later, she was ready for more. Pushing the Doctor off of her, she climbed on top and straddled him.

The Doctor lay on the bed where Rose pushed him and watched as she positioned him at her entrance and slowly slid down onto his erection. He groaned at the pleasure she was bringing him, watching her round breasts bounce with every move she made. He sat up and took her breast into his mouth, placing his hand on the small of her back and guiding her movements.

"Rose," he moaned. He could feel himself nearing orgasm; Rose took notice and began moving against him more fervently. Just as her own inner muscles were tightening against him with her orgasm, she felt his cock pulsing with his own.

Slowly, Rose rolled off of the Doctor. He stared at her, wide-eyed, and stroked her cheek with his hand. He wasn't saying it, but she knew: the Doctor loved her.

* * *

Rose opened her eyes and was saddened to find that her daydream of her and the Doctor, although so realistic, was only in her mind. The first time with the Doctor had been amazing; she longed to feel his arms around her again. There had been so many more nights in the TARDIS lying naked with the Doctor, and with the realization that those blissful times would never be repeated, Rose began to sob again.

She gently rubbed her belly where her own little piece of the Doctor was growing inside of her. If she couldn't have him to hold, at least she could have his child.

Closing her eyes again, she could have sworn she heard someone calling her. "Rose…"


	3. Chapter 3

"Mother, what the hell am I supposed to tell her when she asks about the father?" Rose yelled, exasperated. "Oh, he's an alien time lord off in another dimension travelling through time and space? That's one way to end up in the loony bin, if you ask me."

"Oh, come off it, Rose!" Jackie loved her daughter, but she had to admit there were times when she could be rather thick. "Nobody cares about that nowadays. You've got to go!"

Rose and her mother had been arguing for days about going to see an obstetrician. No matter how many times she tried to explain it to her mother, Jackie just wasn't getting it. She couldn't go see a doctor, because the Doctor was the father.

"Please, Rose," Jackie said quietly. "Do it for me."

"Why on earth does it make any difference to you?" Rose demanded.

"You were supposed to have a brother," Jackie said, her eyes cast down toward the floor. Her voice was little more than a whisper. "It was before your father and I were married. I was too afraid to tell mum, so I didn't see a doctor. I miscarried. I didn't know how to keep my baby safe."

Rose was speechless. Rose's mother had never shared that information before. A brother… But that was in the past, and that was in a different dimension. The thought haunted her, though. She thought of the possibility of losing her baby. The tiny little thing in her belly was all she had left of her Doctor. If she miscarried, she would have to endure the loss all over again. It had only been a month since her life had been ripped in two by the loss of the love of her life. She couldn't do that again.

Defeated, Rose said weakly, "Alright. I'll see a doctor."

"Rose Tyler?" the nurse called out into the waiting room, "The doctor will see you now". At those words, Rose felt tears welling in her eyes. She blinked them back – the nurse couldn't possibly understand how badly those words hurt her, as she knew they'd never be true.

Rose was, by far, the youngest one here. There were three other women, all heavily pregnant, in the waiting room. They were all accompanied by the fathers of their babies. Rose choked back tears as she realized the Doctor would never sit next to her in the waiting room. She'd always be alone.

Rose followed the nurse into the examination room. "Here's a cup, the loo's down the hall. We just need a small sample to perform the test." Rose shuddered. Pissing in a cup? Gross. But if it would tell her for sure – although she was certain anyway – that she was carrying the Doctor's child, she'd oblige.

The minutes spent sitting in the exam room waiting for the doctor were excruciating. She rubbed her abdomen nervously. "Hey, in there," she cooed to the embryo in her womb.

The door creaked open and Rose's stomach dropped. The obstetrician walked into the room holding a clipboard. "Hello, Rose, I'm Dr. Harrison." The doctor was a Scottish woman, perhaps in her 40's. She had a kind face – the sort of face that put nervous, teenage girls carrying alien babies at ease.

"Well, let's get straight to the point. You're right, you are pregnant." The doctor said it with such ease, such tact, that for a minute, Rose didn't realize the magnitude of the situation. Then it hit her: the Doctor's child was in her womb. She was having his baby – his baby that he would never meet.

Rose burst in to tears, and Dr. Harrison's expression softened. She put a comforting hand on Rose's shoulder. "Is the father in the picture?" she asked.

"No he's –" Rose paused. What was she supposed to say? "He's… travelling. I'm not sure when he'll be back. He doesn't know about the baby."

Dr. Harrison gave her a knowing look. "Ah. I see. Was that your mother in the waiting room with you? Would she like to come in with you while I do the ultrasound?"

"Ultrasound? Why?" Rose inquired – she supposed she really did not know much about prenatal care. Perhaps her mother was right in forcing her here.

"Well, we need to see how far along you are. Maybe your mother would like to meet her grandbaby?" Dr. Harrison suggested.

"Yeah, I – I suppose she would. Would you go and get her?" Rose pleaded. The doctor nodded and left the room. "Well, baby, I suppose it's just you and me from now on." She choked back sobs, thinking of the father that her son or daughter would never get to meet.

Moments later, Dr. Harrison and Jackie entered the room. Jackie rushed to her daughter's side, but Rose was maintaining her composure, for now at least.

"Alright, Miss Tyler, if you'd just lay back on the table and lift your shirt for me, we can get started," the doctor instructed as she slipped on a pair of gloves. Rose followed her instructions; she tried to ignore the thoughts of how badly she wanted it to be the Doctor, not her mother, holding her hand.

Dr. Harrison squeezed a cold gel out of a tube onto Rose's flat stomach. _It won't be flat for long, _Rose thought, staring down at her belly. She'd thought about it before, having the Doctor's children, but never like this. In her daydreams, the Doctor was by her side, kissing her forehead as she delivered his children. She never imagined he'd be in another universe.

The doctor put a sort of wand against Rose's abdomen, and wavy lines appeared on the monitor by the bed. "Well," said Dr. Harrison, "You're rather early on. I'd guess about 5 weeks." She continued to move the wand around on Rose's belly. "All we can really see right now is the heartbeat, and – oh my."

Rose bolted upright to stare at the monitor, but quickly realized that her action caused the wavy lines to disappear on the screen. Was something wrong with her baby?

"Lay down, dear," advised the doctor. "There's nothing wrong. But, if you look here –" she at a point on the screen, "you can see that there's two moving spots."

Rose didn't comprehend what the doctor was saying. The screen looked like a blue scribble to her; she didn't understand how the doctor was seeing the beginnings of a baby. "So what does that mean?"

"Well, Rose, there's two heartbeats. You're having twins." The doctor smiled at Rose, handing her a tissue to wipe the goo off her belly. "The nurse will come in a minute to get you set to leave," she said, walking out the door.

"Well, that's exciting!" Jackie piped up as soon as the doctor left the room. "Twins! I'm going to have two grandchildren all at once!" The look on her face was excited, but there was a hint of fear in her eyes. Her daughter, only 19 years old, was having twins.

Rose looked dumbstruck. She wasn't smiling; in fact, her face showed little emotion. Quietly, she spoke. "No, Mum. I'm not having twins. I'm having a time lord."


	4. Chapter 4

The dreams had faded slightly over the nearly three months since she was trapped in the parallel universe; they would only rear their ugly heads a few times per week rather than every night. She would awake crying, knowing from the instant she awoke that the Doctor was not with her.

She usually consoled herself by rubbing her lower belly. If she couldn't be with the Doctor, at least she could have his child. Her normally flat stomach had become slightly rounded with the 12-week-old fetus that was growing inside of her. She stroked her abdomen, talking softly to her unborn child, as she drifted back to sleep.

* * *

The Doctor was calling her. "Rose…" she could hear faintly. "Come to me, Rose." It was as if her mind was taunting her. In this dream, she was aware that the Doctor was gone. Why was he forcing her to hear the voice that she could never hear again? "Rose, Dålig Ulv Stranden," it was saying.

Rose awoke with a start. She knew right away she was alone, for she had been alone in her dream. Tears ran down her face – did this mean her Doctor would never visit her in her sleep again?

"Rose…" whispered a voice. _ I must be delusional, _she thought. She was awake, but still hearing the Doctor's voice calling to her. "Dålig Ulv Stranden," the voice called. It was clearer this time. Rose's heart began racing; her palms began to sweat. The Doctor was calling to her.

She jumped out of bed and threw on a robe before running out into the hallway. She didn't bother to check the clock – it was nearly 3 in the morning. She ran as fast as her aching back would allow to her parents' room, but was stopped by a locked door. _Dammit, _she thought, _those two have been going at it like rabbits for three months now_.

Between her angry bangs on the door, she heard the bed squeak as someone grudgingly awoke. The door opened, and Pete's tiredness turned to worry as he saw the frantic expression on his daughter's face. "Rose, what is it? What's wrong?" he prodded, turning on the light.

"Wake mum, and come downstairs," Rose said. "There's something I've got to tell you. I'm going to wake Mickey."

Mickey had been staying with the Tylers since they arrived in the parallel dimension. He found that, having lost his grandmother so many years ago, seeing her face every day was bittersweet. So, he preferred to stay with Rose in her father's rather large estate, popping home to visit Gran every once in a while. He and Rose had never resumed their relationship; after seeing the heartbreak painted on Rose's face after losing the Doctor, he knew they could not be together again. She had never looked at him with those eyes.

The slightly-pregnant Rose flew into Mickey's room and ripped the covers off of his bed. "Mickey, wake up," she prodded. Mickey gave a disgruntled groan in response. "Mickey, seriously, it's important. I think I heard the Doctor."

At this, Mickey looked up at Rose with an expression of concern, and saw the hysterical look in her eyes. "Alright," he agreed, "I'll be down in a minute."

Rose ran down the stairs to see her mother and father sitting on the couch, holding hands. "What is it, Rose?" asked Jackie. "Is there something wrong with the baby?

Mickey began descending the stairs as Rose replied, "No, mum. But I heard the doctor. He spoke to me. He wants me to come to him."

"Oh, Rose," started her mother. The look in her eyes was one of pity – didn't her daughter realize that it was impossible? "Rose, sweetheart, you know that can't happen."

"But he said something, Mum. He said 'Dålig Ulv Stranden.' I don't know what it means, but he wants me to know something," Rose claimed. She wanted desperately for it to be true, for him to be calling to her. Had it been anyone else she was talking to, they wouldn't have believed her. But, they had met the Doctor – they knew anything was possible.

"'Dålig Ulv Stranden?' That's not English," said Pete, who was clearly thinking through what Rose had told him. He walked over to the desk in the corner of the room, where a computer rested.

"Do you know what it means?" said Mickey. He did not appear to be fully awake yet, but was willing to be there for Rose.

"No," called Pete from the corner of the room. "But I'm looking it up now." There was silence except for the rapid ticking of keys on the keyboard. "Here we go. It's a bay in Norway, about twenty hours driving."

"Well, we ought to leave now, then," said Rose, standing up off of the couch. Jackie grabbed her by the arm and spun her around.

"What do you mean, leave?" she said sharply. "We're going to drive to Norway?"

"Mother, you once sent me on a spaceship alone to find this man. Norway's quite a bit closer, don't you think?" Rose retorted.

"I agree with Rose," piped up Pete. "If there's a chance, any chance at all for my grandchild to have a father, we ought to take it." Mickey nodded his assent.

"Alright, then. I suppose I better go pack. Twenty hours, you said?" asked Jackie mournfully.

"Yes. I'll go start the car," Pete replied, walking out of the room.

* * *

Minutes later, they had packed up and began driving into the early hours of the morning. Pete was driving with Jackie in the front seat. Mickey and Rose shared the back.

Jackie, Pete, and Mickey played stupid games to pass the time. They counted red cars, looked for strange street signs, and played I Spy. But Rose spoke very little. She stared out the window, silent tears rolling down her face, rubbing her rounded stomach. It wasn't easily seen through her clothes, but when she lifted her shirt, you could see the slight bulge of the baby inside of her. With all of her willpower, she tried not to hope that the Doctor would come and take her away again. But it was too late – her hopes were held high, and she had the foreboding sense that she would be disappointed.

* * *

Rose was awakened by the stillness of the car. Blinking in the bright light, she looked around. "Are we here?"

"Yes," Jackie replied, turning to face her daughter. "We made good time – your dad's never been one to obey the speed limits," she said, nudging Pete playfully. She looked at the empty beach in front of her. "What do you suppose we do now?"

Rose didn't reply, but stepped out of the car silently. Pete followed, climbing out and placing an arm around his daughter.

"What exactly did you say this translated to in English, Dad?" Rose asked.

"I didn't say, but I believe it's called 'Bad Wolf Bay."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer – this chapter contains direct quotes from the episode Doomsday; some of the dialogue was not written by me and is borrowed from the writers of the episode. I do not own any part of the Doctor Who universe.**

Standing there on the beach, Rose wondered if she had come all this way for nothing. Jackie, Pete, and Mickey were standing by the car, gazing in her direction. She looked at them, then out to the horizon dancing above the water.

She could have sworn that she heard the Doctor's voice calling her as they drove, getting stronger as they reached the bay. _He must be here,_ she thought, _he wouldn't lure me all this way for nothing._

Suddenly, the sound of the TARDIS engine made her heart leap. A translucent image of the Doctor stood before her. She blinked back tears, her hopes rising high in her throat. But he wasn't here. He looked like a ghost.

The Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to remedy this, then turned to Rose. She was beautiful. Standing in the TARDIS, his image projected into Rose's universe, he longed to be with her, to hold her. He loved her, more than she ever could possibly know.

"How long have we got?" she asked, her voice breaking. He had told her he couldn't touch her, but she wanted to be held in his arms.

"About two minutes," the Doctor answered. He was staring into her eyes with such an intensity, but there was no smile on his face.

"I can't think of what to say," Rose said. She was smiling, but it was bittersweet. She knew he couldn't stay. Two minutes was not nearly enough time to tell him everything he needed to know.

The Doctor tried to lighten the mood. He didn't want Rose to see how much it crippled him to see her and not be able to hold her. "You've still got Mr. Mickey, then?"

Rose smiled. "There's five of us now. Mum, dad, Mickey…" she paused. She had to tell him now; she would never get another chance. "And the baby."

The Doctor's eyes widened as he stared at Rose. "You're not…"

"Yeah, actually. I am," Rose said as tears started to stream down her face. She wiped them away and tried to feign a smile at the Doctor.

He was speechless; he couldn't think of a thing to say. He hoped desperately it was his child; imagining Rose in bed with another man was a painful image. "Is it Mickey's, then?" There was desperation in his voice.

"No, it's… um…" Rose's voice faltered. It was as if telling him made it real. But, she knew she had to – and she was grateful to have the chance to let him know he was going to be a father. "It's yours, actually. Mickey and I haven't gotten back together. We don't intend to, either."

Wide-eyed, the Doctor tried to comprehend what Rose was saying. He was going to be a father. Rose, the love of his existence, was carrying his child. His hearts sank as he realized that he would never meet the child that rested in Rose's belly.

A smile formed on the Doctor's face, but tears fell at the same time. Silently, Rose lifted her shirt slightly. The Doctor could see that her beautiful torso had rounded slightly with pregnancy. Rose beamed at him with a tear-filled grin. "I'm about three months gone," she told him.

Then, reality came crashing down upon them as they realized that their time was almost up. Rose's tears continue to stream down her face. "Am I ever going to see you again?"

"You can't." He wished it wasn't true. He wanted to hold her in his arms. He would have given anything to be there with her through her pregnancy, rubbing her back as it ached with the weight of his child and talking to the baby through Rose's belly. He racked his brain for answers, but none came.

"I l –" Rose's words were cut off by a sob and she lowered her eyes to the ground. Steadying herself, she looked up at the Doctor. "I love you," she finally managed.

The Doctor smiled. "Quite right," he said. He blinked back tears. "And, I suppose, if it's my last chance to say it…" he paused. "Rose Tyler –." _Wait a second… is it possible? No, it couldn't be. But if there's a chance…_

The Doctor stopped mid-thought. "Torchwood!" he exclaimed, not even a second before he faded from the beach and was brought back to the TARDIS.

Rose was left standing on by the bay, alone and with tears running down her face with every sob. He hadn't gotten to say it. Still, she knew he loved her. And what had he meant by Torchwood?

_Did he find a way for me to get back to him?_ she thought. She searched her own brain for answers, but her thoughts were muddled by tears. No, she had been working at Torchwood, and she knew the ins and outs of that building by the back of her hand. If there had been a way to get back to her Doctor, she would have found it.

But Torchwood had changed locations since the gap between universes had closed. _Could there be something in the abandoned building?_ Rose thought to herself. A newfound determination washed through her body, flooding her mind with feelings of hope. _I stared into the damned Time Vortex to get back to him once. If there's a way, I'll find it._


	6. Chapter 6

As dusk was falling, they were donning black clothing. Jackie, Pete, Mickey, Jake, and Rose had spent nearly a month planning their initial trip into the abandoned, yet still heavily guarded facility.

The building was a menacing tower, the twin of the one in which the face-off between the Daleks and the Cybermen had occurred in the parallel world. Supposedly now it stood empty, but Rose was certain that the Doctor had a plan, and she was determined to figure it out.

She squeezed uncomfortably into her favorite black tank top, but found that it was rather tight around her midsection. She was nearly 4 months into her pregnancy, and the bulge of her belly was beginning to show. She wished the Doctor could see her now; she suspected that he would've enjoyed the sight of her swollen, pregnant breasts peeking through the top of her tank top. She chuckled; it didn't hurt as much to think of him now. She had his child growing inside her, and now there was the possibility of being with him again. What had once been a heart-wrenching pain was replaced by a glowing hope.

"Alright," she announced, demanding the attention of the soldiers she had assembled. "We're looking for a sphere, perhaps floating in the air." Rose chose her next words carefully. "In fact, we're looking for a sphere that doesn't exist. Until we activate it, it should not have any physical properties."

It had hit her in the middle of the night. The Doctor had once mentioned that the parallel world and her home world had diverged over the simplest of things (which, as Rose had discovered, turned out to be the Hindenburg Disaster – it had never happened here). But, everything else was constant, except for things immediately related to the divergent event. So, Rose hypothesized, things that happened in her world had also happened in this one. Perhaps one of those things would be a non-existent sphere entering the universe. If there was one in this world, Rose could use it to travel to her Doctor.

There was the matter of the Daleks inside, but Rose figured they'd deal with that after they determined whether this sphere actually existed here. They did have an advantage, though. They had lived this battle once before; they had the knowledge they needed to defeat the Daleks. Not to mention, they also had fewer Cybermen to deal with.

Tonight was nothing more than an exploratory mission, though. They needed to find out if the sphere existed. The glimmer of hope inside of Rose was gleaming stronger with every minute passing, as the clock ticked closer to midnight, she found herself growing more and more excited.

"Have you got the map, Jake?" called Mickey from the other room. The three that had the most experience in Torchwood Tower – Jake, Mickey, and Rose – had assembled a basic map of the tower based on what they could remember.

"Bring it here, I need to update it." Mickey was furiously typing away at his computer. "I've hacked the Torchwood computer system. There's an entire wing in the basement that we've overlooked."

"Do you think it's in there?" asked Rose, who was sprawled belly-up on the floor. Her back had been aching horribly lately, but she insisted she was going on the mission. "Is there any news on it?"

"Well, it's all in code. There are a few things I haven't been able to identify: ST194, AMS001, and DLK021. Maybe it's one of those?" Mickey made a few quick marks on the map that Jake had brought him and pushed his chair back from the computer. "I think it's as complete as it's gonna get," he declared, handing the map to Rose. She eyed it meticulously, as if she were determined to memorize it.

"It's nearly midnight. Should we head out?" Jake asked. He was pacing the room idly, itching to begin the mission. He glanced at Mickey and Rose, waiting for a reply.

"Well, I suppose so," answered Rose, sitting up from her position on the floor. "Where's Mum and Dad?" She leaned over to peek through a doorway; her parents were nowhere to be found.

"Snogging in their bedroom, I believe," replied Mickey with a smirk. "I'll go interrupt the lovebirds."

As Mickey ascended the stairs, Jake and Rose compiled the supplies they'd need for the night. Jake had stolen several broken sonic guns from Torchwood in his vigilante days, and with what Rose had learned from the Doctor, they had been able to repair them. They had also been able to track down a few Earth-made handguns. Jake and Rose each pocketed a gun – Rose's sonic, Jake's traditional – and Rose folded the map and stuffed it into her pocket.

A giggling Mickey returned with Pete and Jackie, who were looking suspiciously disheveled, and Jake handed them the supplies they were going to need that night. Then, the small army of black-clad soldiers marched out the door.

* * *

They arrived at Torchwood Tower much faster than any of them would've hoped. The group had parked the van at a Laundromat a mile away from the tower, as to not raise suspicions. The trek to the building took mere minutes, and they approached the building from the rear.

"There's guards positioned here, here, and here." Jake pointed at several spots on the map. "But, there's an alcove here that leads to a ventilation shaft. It should take us to the second level. I don't believe there's anyone guarding the inside – once we're in, we should be good to go."

"Jesus, Jake, she's four months pregnant!" whispered an exasperated Jackie. "You couldn't have found an easier way into the building?"

"I'm fine, Mum. I'll figure it out." Rose peered around the shrubbery they were crouched behind. "I think we're clear. To quote the man we're all doing this for – Allons-y!"

The crowd moved out, stealthily gliding across the dewy grass field leading to the alcove. They reached it undetected, and Jake pulled out a crowbar to pry the ventilation duct off. Rose wished she had the Doctor's sonic screwdriver – it would've made for a much quieter entry.

One by one, the group pulled themselves into the ventilation shaft. Pete, Jackie, Mickey, and Jake army-crawled along the shaft on their stomachs, while Rose followed with a clumsy scooting sort of motion to avoid crushing the Doctor's baby. They continued on for what felt like an hour, until Jake announced, "Down here!"

Again using the crowbar, Jake pried the duct open, and each member of the party slipped through the hole. They were met with a scene out of a dystopian movie – bleak, gray walls surrounded them, with clear plastic draped throughout the room. Tables and chairs were knocked on their sides, and papers were scattered over the floor.

"Split up, yeah?" Rose suggested. She dug the map out of her pocket and spread it on one of the few tables still standing upright. "Mum, Dad, you take the upper levels: 7-10. Jake, do you think you can handle levels 3-6?" He nodded. "Alright. Mickey and I'll take levels Basement-2. Meet up at 7AM?"

* * *

For hours, Rose and Mickey wandered levels 2, 1, 0, and most of the basement. The wing Mickey had found on the database turned out to be nothing but office supply storage; they had wasted an hour scouring every shelf for hints.

They turned a corner and were faced with a door that looked entirely out of place for its decrepit surroundings; it was metal, but not eaten away by the tarnish that plagued the other metal elements on the level. Mickey walked up and tried to pry it open, but, unlike the other doors that opened easily, it refused to budge.

"Watch out," warned Rose as she took the sonic handgun out of her pocket. Aiming at the locking mechanism, Rose fired the gun with a flash of blue light. "Try it now," she directed. Mickey walked up and pried the door open with ease.

As the door swung open, a metallic voice called out "Exterminate!"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry about the short chapter, but after the end of the last one, I thought it was cruel to keep you waiting. Enjoy!**

* * *

_All of this for nothing_, Rose thought as she realized where the voice was coming from. _All the pain, all the heartache. All the care I've taken to protect this child inside of me. All the hope for a future with the Doctor. All for nothing._

Rose braced herself for the fatal shock that would come when the Dalek chose to execute her and Mickey. But the impact never came.

"Exterminate… Must… Exterminate," cried the Dalek pitifully. Rose had her eyes shut tight, still waiting for the blow that wouldn't come.

"Rose…" Mickey said, sounding amazed. "Look. Rose, it can't hurt us!" Rose looked up in time to see Mickey running toward a large cage. A sign hung above the metal bars; it read: DLK021. She supposed that's what Mickey had seen on the Torchwood database – Dalek 21.

Rose moved cautiously toward the cage that held what appeared to be a disabled Dalek. It was missing its firing arm – the one that emits the fatal blue laser. It didn't have its sucker limb, either. In fact, both appeared to have been crudely removed from the Dalek's metal casing.

"What happened to you," asked Rose, intrigued. Daleks always seemed to take a liking to her; she reckoned she was the only human to ever have had a conversation with one.

"Humans…" the Dalek cried. "Humans did this to me!" The Dalek rammed itself against the metal bars. "Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!" But, nothing happened.

Rose gave one last pitying look at the Dalek. Turning to Mickey, she commanded "Let's go. We've got a void ship to find."

* * *

Rose and Mickey searched every door in the basement, but with no luck. They had just returned from a rather large room full of what Mickey insisted must've been space toilets. Rose thought he was being ridiculous – they looked much too complex to be used as a loo.

As the two were arguing over the purpose of the complicated machines, they heard the fast rapping of shoes against cement as Jake came flying into the hallway. "We've found it!"

* * *

The five of them – well, five and a half – stood before the giant sphere floating in the center of the room. "Rose…," Jackie began timidly, "Does this mean?"

She had been keeping her composure thus far, but as her mother spoke those words, Rose fell to her knees sobbing. The hope that had been growing inside her amplified, sending tears down her cheeks as a grin formed on her face. "Yes, Mum, yes it does!" she choked out between sobs. "I get to see him again! I get to see –"

Rose stopped. With a stunned look on her face, she stared down at the round protrusion of her belly. Shyly, she brought a hand to her abdomen. Concerned, Jackie took a step toward her daughter. "Rose, what is it? Is everything alright?"

"Mum…" Rose began. Jackie could see that Rose was smiling, and the momentary panic she had experienced passed. Rose was beaming. "Mum, the baby kicked."

Jackie recalled the first time she had felt Rose move within her own body, and how it had been the first time she felt the strong love of motherhood for her daughter. "Oh, sweetheart," she said tenderly. She wrapped her arms around her daughter, though Rose didn't reciprocate – her hands were both planted on her belly, feeling the movements of the little half-human inside her womb.

Jackie placed her hand gently on Rose's round belly. After a moment, she felt a slight twitch against her hand; she immediately recognized it as the foot of a tiny baby beating against the walls of its home. "Oh, Rose," was all Jackie could say as she felt her grandchild's movements.

"Pete, come here!" Jackie called to her husband. Jake and Mickey hung back awkwardly as Pete moved forward toward Rose. A daughter and a grandchild in less than a year – this was getting to be too much for him. But still, he was grateful to be a part of their lives.

"Go on, feel it! It's your grandchild too," Jackie encouraged, seeing the hesitant expression on Pete's face. He followed his wife's directions and placed his hand next to hers. Soon, he felt the thump of a tiny foot colliding with his hand. "Oh my God, I'm going to be a grandfather.

Rose looked up, her hazel eyes glowing with happy tears. "I think the baby knows," Rose explained. "I think he –"

"Or she!" Jackie piped in.

Rose shot her mother a scathing look. "I think he knows he gets to meet his father."


	8. Chapter 8

Rose, still glowing from the discovery of her baby's movements, realized she had left her sonic gun down in the basement of Torchwood Tower. Mickey had offered to go with her to retrieve it; Rose was glad – this building gave her an odd feeling.

"Do you want to feel it, Mickey?" Rose said after a brief lull in the conversation.

"What?" Mickey looked up, surprise. "I- I guess so. What do I do, just put my hand on your stomach?"

Rose laughed. "Here." She placed his hand just below her navel, where her half-time lord baby had been beating his feet against the walls of her womb.

Mickey pulled his hand back. "Whoa. There's really a baby in there," staring at Rose's rounded stomach. Rose chuckled and nodded. "So," Mickey said hesitantly, "you and the Doctor, yeah?"

"I thought we've had this conversation already, Mickey." Rose rubbed her belly. "I love him. I'm sorry – just – you and me, we were never right together." She gave Mickey an apologetic look.

"Yeah, I know. But seeing you carrying his baby –" Mickey shook his head. "It's a little much to handle."

He paused, letting a few silent minutes pass as they walked together. "I guess, if you're having his child, then I'm glad you're going back to him."

"Yeah," Rose agreed. "But we've still got the Daleks to deal with. Let's not get ahead of ourselves – we still need to work out a plan."

They reached the door that Rose had blasted open. They heard the robotic voice of the broken Dalek: "Exterminate! Must exterminate!"

Walking through the door, they were met with a strange sight: a girl, perhaps a few years younger than Rose, was sitting cross-legged in front of the Dalek cage, speaking to the Dalek.

"No, mate, not exterminate. You're a good Dalek now," she said, reaching in to pat the Dalek.

"No!" she shouted, startling the girl. "He'll use your DNA to fix himself!" She didn't make it in time, though – the girl had already touched the Dalek.

"'Ello, there!" said the girl cheerfully. "I see you've met my friend DLK021!" The girl didn't look at all concerned by Rose's warning. Seeing Rose's expression, the girl reassured her. "No, he won't. I've broken that part of him, too."

"Too? You mean you did this to him?" Mickey looked at the young girl. She couldn't have been older than 15. How could she have possibly disabled the Dalek?

"You're wondering how I did it, aren't you?" the girl asked Mickey. Dumbfounded, Mickey simply nodded. This girl was a genius, and apparently a mind reader. She continued. "It was all luck, really. I was visiting Mum at work – she works down here in the supply room." She pointed over her shoulder toward the direction of wing Rose and Mickey had explored earlier. "Uses a great big megaphone to give commands to the workers to bring supplies. But, it was on the fritz, making a great deal of loud noises – you know, feedback and such. So Mum sent me up to Floor 2 to get it fixed."

Rose stared at the girl sitting in front of the Dalek. The girl didn't seem to be phased by the two strangers who had walked in on her Dalek therapy session, and continued on. "I ran into this little guy," she motioned to the Dalek, "in the stairwell on my way back down to Mum. The repairman wasn't in, so I was going to Mum back her broken megaphone. Anyway, I guess they had kept one of the Daleks behind to experiment on, you know, last time the Daleks came to Earth. Turns out, he killed his keeper and escaped. That's where I found him."

Again reaching out to pat the Dalek, she continued her tale. "It yelled at me – 'EXTERMINATE!" The girl giggled as she mimicked the Dalek's voice. "I froze up, and accidentally turned on the megaphone. For some reason, the sound made him go bonkers! His top half started spinning around, and he seemed to be stuck where he was standing! I took the chance to use these," the girl held up a menacing pair of bolt cutters that Rose hadn't noticed before, "to clip off his shooty arm and his sucky arm. Then, once he was harmless, I took out the part of him that helps him fix himself. He was stupid enough to tell me about it!" She gave the Dalek a condescending tickle. "I told him he could have his arms back when he learned to be a good Dalek."

Rose chuckled. "I'm not sure if that'll ever happen."

Mickey didn't appear amused; rather, he seemed to be lost in thought. "Sound. Sound is all it takes to get rid of these things?"

"Yep!" The girl beamed. "Wanna see?" She held up a megaphone, and Rose could have sworn she heard the Dalek gasps. "I still keep it around, you know, for if he's being bad."

Rose nodded, and the girl pressed a button on the megaphone. The frequency rang out, high pitched and unpleasant. Rose and Mickey covered their ears as the Dalek screamed, then started spinning and making incoherent sounds. The girl smiled again as she turned off the megaphone. The Dalek was sitting motionless in his cell.

"Mickey, you know what this means, right?" Rose turned to her friend. "All we need is that megaphone, and we – we can defeat the Daleks!"

Mickey laughed. "You know what else it means? We were outsmarted by a fifteen year old girl."

"Fourteen!" the girl corrected.

"Sorry, fourteen," Mickey said. "Hey, if you're fourteen, where is your mum, anyway? Isn't she concerned that you're out in the middle of the night?

"Oh, my mum? She's dead," the girl said nonchalantly. "The Dalek had made his way through the basement by the time I got back down here."

Rose, uneasy at the girl's casualness regarding her mother's death, turned to Mickey. "We really ought to go find the others." Mickey nodded in agreement, and they left the strange little girl behind.

Mickey and Rose found Jackie, Pete, and Jake by the air vent they had scrambled in through.

"We've figured it out!" Rose announced, hoisting herself into the vent with Jake's help. "We know how to defeat the Daleks in the void ship!"

"Really?" Jackie sounded skeptical. "How exactly are you going to do that?"

"Sound," Mickey said. "We found a girl. She broke one of the Daleks – a broken megaphone gave off feedback at a frequency that stuns the Daleks. Then she removed its arms. Without those, it's harmless!"

Jackie looked at him, wide-eyed. "You mean to say it's that simple? Just play a sound for them, and they break?" She wasn't sure she believed him.

"Well, it's the best we've got to go on right now," Mickey replied. He had seen it with his own eyes, and if not for that, he wouldn't have believed it either.

"Where is this girl, anyway?" Jackie asked. If she could defeat Daleks, she wanted to meet her. "Why didn't you bring her with you?

"She's in the basement talking to the broken Dalek. She's convinced she can reform him," Mickey explained with a laugh.

Rose changed the subject. "So when should we do it, then? Tomorrow?" Rose had a grin on her face, and was massaging her bulging abdomen.

"Rose…" Mickey said softly. "We've still got planning to do. We've got the Genesis Arc to deal with, you know."


	9. Chapter 9

Rose felt like her belly was growing larger by the minute. At just over 6 months, it looked like she was hiding a bowling ball under her shirt. She couldn't believe that she had almost three months to go before having this baby. But, she was grateful for the time that she had before giving birth; all she wanted was for the Doctor to be standing by her side as she delivered his child. She just hoped three months would be enough time to get back to him.

They had discovered that the void ship that had existed in their home world also existed in this parallel one. They also had discovered that this one hadn't been activated yet – the Daleks were still inside. Opening it meant risking their lives, and the lives of everyone on the planet. If the Genesis Arc was opened, millions of Daleks would be released onto the planet.

A young girl had given Rose and Mickey what they hoped would be the key to disabling the Daleks. A certain frequency could short them out, as if stunning them for a short period of time. Their deadly arms could be removed during this time, as long as the computer chip responsible for regenerating broken pieces. However, this wouldn't kill the Daleks – they'd still be left with the rather intelligent creatures, whom Rose believed would eventually figure out how to heal themselves.

Their small army, Rose, Mickey, Jackie, Pete, and Jake were sitting by the fireplace in Pete's rather large estate. The tension was thick as they discussed their plan of attack for getting Rose to the father of her child.

"But the plan's not finished yet, Mickey," Jackie was insisting. "We can't kill the Daleks. They're too strong for that. Rose is right, what if they figure out how to heal themselves?"

"What other chance have we got? There's only four of them in there. Disabling them has got to hold them off long enough to get Rose into the void ship and on her way to the Doctor," said Mickey, determined to argue her counterpoint.

"What about the Genesis Arc?" Pete asked. He was taking Jackie's side, of course. "What if it gets opened? Disabling millions of Daleks would be impossible – the stunned period would wear off before we could get to all of them."

"It won't get opened!" Jake said, clearly frustrated. "We know how it got opened the first time. Mickey touched it – it needs void matter. We all know not to touch it. Problem solved?"

"You underestimate the intelligence of the Daleks," Jackie argued, her voice raised almost to a yell. "They'll figure out how to open it without our help."

Rose had been sitting quietly during this argument, staring at the fire. The half-human in her abdomen was awake and active – she could feel the fetus's movements against her muscles. She worried about the baby often. She hadn't been to a doctor since the first visit, when she was only five weeks along. How on Earth could she explain why there were two heartbeats and only one body? She couldn't, so she stopped visiting the obstetrician. She longed to know what she was carrying – a boy or a girl – but that was a trip to the doctor that she wasn't worth taking. Besides, if the Doctor didn't get to know, why did she?

She rubbed her belly in a worried fashion. She was more than six months along. In less than three months, she would be giving birth to this baby. She couldn't do it on Earth – it would raise too much suspicion. Besides, she wanted more than anything for her Doctor to be holding her hand during the delivery. It was now or never.

Rose, oblivious to the argument around her, interrupted Jackie mid-thought. "Can I say something?" Everyone turned and looked at her, as if they had forgotten that she was there.

"Sure, sweetheart," Jackie said softly. "What is it?"

"I'm more than six months along. I'm going to be having this baby in less than three months, and I'm going to be having this baby with the Doctor by my side. My baby needs him as much as I do," Rose insisted.

"So what are you saying, love?" Jackie asked, not fully understanding what her daughter was implying.

Rose paused, meeting each person's eyes. "We're going to Torchwood. Tonight."


	10. Chapter 10

For a few silent moments, everyone gaped at her. It was Jake who finally broke the silence. "Tonight? You mean in the next few hours? It's ten after nine right now."

"Yeah," Rose replied. The determined look on her face implied that she was not going to take no for an answer. "Get dressed. Get the guns. Get the megaphone. We're leaving in two hours."

The past two months had dragged by slowly since the group discovered the void ship. Rose was itching with anticipation to see the Doctor again. Thoughts were running through her head as she realized the moment had finally arrived. _What if we're not ready? What if it doesn't work? What if they open the Genesis Arc? What if we die?_ Rose tried to push aside the thoughts, but they were still in the back of her mind nagging her. Though in reality, she didn't have any choice other than to go tonight.

A heavily pregnant Rose began to ascend the stairs, with the others left by the fire in shock. They knew they had prepared as well as they could, but all their plans had been for some indiscriminate date. Knowing that it was happening at all, not to mention in less than two hours, made it all the more real.

The preparations had been slow and tedious. Mickey had hacked the Torchwood computer database again, and had activated the intercom in the building. If all hell broke loose, they could use the intercom to sound the megaphone through the whole tower. Jake had rigged a few weapons to increase the blast of the sonic ray. His prized possession was a sonic gun with an Earth gun attachment – it could fire sonic rays and bullets simultaneously. Pete and Jackie had spent most of their time in Torchwood Tower. Pete added all possible escape routes to their existing map, and Jackie had befriended the fourteen-year-old Dalek tamer, whose name turned out to be Lanie. She had ended up being quite a valuable resource, even if she was a little bit odd. She knew things about Dalek anatomy that none of the others could have known, and showed Rose all she knew using some empty Dalek casings they found in a locked room in the tower. Lanie had even given up her broken megaphone at Jackie's urging. The group would have been much worse off if it wasn't for Lanie's help.

Rose came back downstairs in black sweatpants (which were all she could wear these days) and a black tee shirt. The others had already donned their gear, and Jake was handing out the guns. Each member of the group was also equipped with heavy bolt cutters, which, at Lanie's suggestion, could be used for the removal of Dalek limbs.

* * *

Getting into the tower had become much easier over the months since their first visit. For everyone except for Rose, that is. While the others agilely slithered through the ventilation shaft, Rose sort of wiggled her way through, making slow progress.

Guns in hand, the group made their way toward the 4th floor of the tower where Jake had originally found the void ship. As they rounded the corner, the heavy door to the chamber swung open. An excited Lanie appeared. Trailing behind her was the disabled Dalek on a leash.

"Hi there! Didn't expect you lot to be coming 'round tonight!" Lanie said happily. "What's going on?" she asked as she noticed the guns and bolt cutters the others were carrying.

"We've decided to go tonight," Rose explained. "Do you remember the plan?"

"Yep!" beamed Lanie. "I take the broken Daleks, and put them in the cage with this little guy." She motioned to the Dalek tethered to her by a metal chain.

"Exterminate!" exclaimed the Dalek.

Lanie shot it a look. "Shut it, you." Rose suspected that she hadn't been making much progress talking sense into the killing machine. "Yeah, I'm not getting far with him," Lanie explained as if she could see into Rose's mind.

_God, _Rose thought,_ she's really creepy when she does that_. "Er, Lanie," she said. "Maybe it's not such a great idea to have your little friend here when his brothers arrive?" She pointed toward the Dalek. "Maybe you ought to bring him down to the cage. So he can wait for them there, yeah?"

Lanie nodded and skipped happily away, dragging her Dalek behind her.

"She's gone mad, hasn't she?" asked Mickey as he watched her prance away.

"No, I don't think so," Rose started. Mickey gave her an inquisitive look. "Well," Rose explained, "I think she was already mad when we met her."

* * *

Jake, Jackie, Pete, Mickey, and Rose stared up at the giant, foreboding sphere. There was one gaping flaw in their plan that no one had considered. "How on Earth do we activate it?" Mickey finally asked.

At that moment, Lanie came skipping in, Dalek-less. "Well, there's got to be a time lord in the vicinity, of course," she explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Rose's heart dropped to her swollen stomach. "Lanie – we haven't got a time lord." _That damn girl,_ Rose thought, cursing under her breath. _She knew this whole time, and she didn't say a thing._

"What're you talking about? Of course you have!" Lanie walked up, gave Rose a condescending smile, and touched the pregnant belly peeking out beneath Rose's shirt. "You've got one right there! Well, at least half of one. That should do."

Rose held her belly, feeling the baby inside. Everything finally made sense – why the Doctor hadn't told Rose about the duplicate void ship the day of the apocalypse. She needed a time lord. That day, neither of them knew that she was already growing a tiny half-time lord inside of her. Things were falling into place as if there had been a plan laid out millions of years ago. This baby was like the Bad Wolf – something she had created, something inside her, to lead her back to the Doctor. The hope that had glowed inside her from the day at the bay grew stronger still; she was, without a doubt, going to see the love of her existence once more.

* * *

"Megaphone ready?" Jake called out. Rose stood on the ladder, mere inches away from touching the giant floating sphere. Jake and Rose stood a few feet behind her on the ground, and behind them stood Pete and Jackie. Lanie stood by the door of the chamber.

"Check," called Pete.

"Bolt cutters ready?" Jake's voice echoed through the chamber.

"Check" replied a chorus of voice.

"Guns ready?" Jake's voice was full of adrenaline as he performed the final equipment checks.

"Check," echoed the chorus of voices.

"Alright, Rose. On your command," shouted Jake.

Rose reached a trembling hand toward the suspended sphere. She paused for a moment, imagining the Doctor's face when he would first see her pregnant belly. Motivated by the image, she pressed her hand against the cold, hard metal. "Void ship activated."

Four Daleks rose slowly out of the circle as metal plates shifted. Menacingly large, with terrifying metal cases, they began lowering themselves to the ground.

"Dad, megaphone!" yelled Rose, backing quickly away from the shining sphere. A shrill sound rang out. Three Daleks froze.

Jackie and Mickey raced forward and made short work of the frozen Daleks' arms. Lanie skipped forward and tethered the Daleks with the same sort of chain she had been using to trail her pet around earlier.

Nobody but Jake noticed the fourth, unfrozen Dalek moving stealthily behind the group of humans, until a mechanical voice screamed out, "Exterminate!"

"Rose!" cried Jake. He ran swiftly across the room, jumping to close the distance between Rose and himself more quickly. In a flash of blue light, he was gone.

With no time to mourn their friend, Rose grabbed Lanie's hand. "Run!"

Pete had grabbed Jackie and was already pulling her out the door. Mickey started toward the door, then doubled back, grabbing the sonic/Earth combination gun that Jake had crafted.

Running down the hallway as fast as her swollen ankles could take her, Rose yelled to Lanie, "why didn't that one get stunned?"

"Don't know," replied Lanie. "I s'pose he's more evolved than the others." Together they darted swiftly down the hallway, following Rose's parents around tight bends and through doorways. By the sound of tennis shoes on cement, Rose could hear that Mickey was not far behind.

"In here," Pete commanded, pulling open a metal door. His wife, daughter, and the slightly insane fourteen-year-old followed, with a frantic Mickey running in seconds later. Pete slammed the door and pulled shut the deadbolt.

"Now what?" asked Jackie. "It didn't freeze. Why didn't it get stunned?"

"Lanie suspects it's more evolved," answered Rose. "Did you disable the others?"

"Yeah," said Mickey. His voice was solemn. "Jake's dead. He gave his life for you, Rose."

Rose was hit with a feeling in her chest that she suspected was guilt. "I- I know. He's a great man, your friend Jake. I wish he knew how grateful I am."

"You know," Mickey said, "he was never quite the same since Rickey died. At least they're together again."

"But still." Rose's voice hitched. "He gave his life for me – for me, and the baby, and the Doctor."

"That's something I'd do any day, Rose." Mickey gave her a solemn smile. Before Rose realized what he was doing, he had picked up Jake's gun and was heading toward the door. With one last backward glance, he disappeared.

Rose tried to run after him, but Pete held her back. "Rose, Jake just died to save you. If you go out there, it'll all be for nothing."

As much as it made Rose feel helpless, she knew her father was right. She slumped against the door, pressing her ear to the cold metal. A metallic voice called "Exterminate!" It was over.

Then, gunshots rang out, followed by the sound of breaking glass. Rose jumped to her feet and pressed her ear closer to the door.

"Blinded! I am blinded!" called out the same voice. Sounds of the Dalek's deadly laser rang out repeatedly.

"You squid bastard!" screamed Mickey's voice. The sound of a sonic gun rang out. Then, there was silence. Rose's heart beat faster, and she worriedly rubbed her belly. The suspense was killing her – she had to know. But just as she grasped for the doorknob, the handle turned on its own. "You in there? Let me in!" demanded Mickey's voice. Rose swung the door open and embraced Mickey.

"You did it! You actually did it!" she exclaimed, holding him as tight as her pregnant belly would allow. Pete walked up and clapped Mickey on the shoulder. "Good going, Mick."

* * *

Mickey, Lanie, Pete, Jackie, and Rose were once again standing before the giant metal ball. It was waiting, open and ready for passengers to board. Lanie had tied up the rest of the disabled Daleks in the cage, and Mickey had scoured the tower, ensuring there were no more functioning ones still roaming.

"Alright, let's go then," Rose said, turning to her mother.

Jackie looked shocked. "Let's? Rose…" understanding washed across her face. "Rose, I'm not going with you."

"You're not?" Rose felt tears welling up in her eyes. "What do you mean, you're not?" She walked toward her mother, who held her in a tight embrace.

"Rose, I've got my husband back. And Pete's spent his whole life here. He can't just give that up," Jackie said as her husband snaked her arms around her waist.

Rose nodded solemnly. "I'll find a way to come visit. Maybe the Doctor can wire a mobile so that I can call other dimensions," she said. "But Mickey, you're coming, right?"

Mickey shook his head. "Sorry, Rose. Someone's gotta tell Jake's family." Rose thought she saw tears welling up in his eyes.

"Yeah," Rose admitted, "I guess I understand."

A small, squeaky voice piped up from the back of the room. "I don't suppose I could come?" asked Lanie.


	11. Chapter 11

Rose turned and looked at the girl. "Lanie…" Rose stopped. She wasn't sure what to say to the girl – she was a mystery to her.

Lanie looked up at Rose with curious green eyes. "Yeah?"

"Do you even understand where I'm going?" For the first time, Rose really looked at Lanie. Perhaps it was just the pregnancy, but she felt protective of her. She was so young, but wise beyond her years. Her bright green eyes contrasted with her pale blonde hair in a way that made her eyes the first thing you noticed when looking at her.

Lanie smiled. "Well I wouldn't have asked to go with you if I didn't know where we're going!" She began walking toward the ladder leading to the void ship. "On new adventures, through hell to a new land!"

"Well, yeah. But we can never come back here. Don't you have a family?" Rose stood in front of the ladder, preventing Lanie from coming aboard.

"Nope. Mum's dead, and dad's long gone. No brothers, no sisters, not even a dog." Lanie hesitated. "But I am gonna miss my Dalek. Can I bring him?"

Rose was reminded of a time when she had to prevent the Doctor from bringing a horse onto the TARDIS. "He's gonna have to stay. Mickey will look after him, yeah?"

"Sure," Mickey replied, giving a playful wink to Rose.

Rose said a tearful goodbye to her mother. Eventually, Rose had to pry Jackie's arms from around her. Tears running down her face, she said "I love you Mum. I'll find a way to visit someday."

"I know you will, sweetheart," Jackie said softly. She placed her hands on her daughter's pregnant belly. "Let her know that her grandmother loves her."

"I will." Rose smiled at her mother. "What makes you think it's a girl?"

"Wishful thinking," Jackie replied. She kissed her daughter on the cheek.

Pete walked forward and hugged Rose. "I just got you a few months ago, and now you're leaving," he said tearfully. "But, I know it's what's best for you, and for you baby." He laid a hand on Rose's belly. "Take good care of her," he whispered.

"I will, Dad." Rose smiled at her father.

"I wasn't talking to you," he confessed. Giving her a kiss on the cheek, he turned and stood by Jackie.

"Rose." Mickey walked up, tears in his eyes. "I would've done anything for you. You know that, right?"

Rose smiled a tearful smile. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a tight squeeze. "I'm going to miss you, Mickey. Take care of Mum and Dad for me."

"Of course," he said.

Her goodbyes done, Rose turned and climbed the ladder, with Lanie following after. She took one last glance over her shoulder as she closed the metal doors of the void ship, and saw tears running down the faces of the ones she loved.

* * *

As with all of the spaceships she'd experienced thus far, the void ship was bigger on the inside. A central console, much more impressive-looking than the one in the TARDIS, sat in the center of the round room. _How the hell am I supposed to fly this thing?_ Rose thought to herself.

"Look at this thing!" Lanie exclaimed, pointing toward the console. "I think it's the controls. All you've got to do is put your hand in it."

"Lanie, if you're coming with me, we've got to establish some ground rules. Number one: stop reading my mind." Rose walked toward the console to inspect the controls. Lanie was right – the controls were psychic, similar to the ones she had seen on Space Station 5. You put your hand in, and the ship took you where you needed to go, psychic sidekick and all.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lanie said with a laugh, but there was a twinkle in her emerald eyes that suggested she was lying. "Hey, what's this thing over here?" Lanie was pointing to a large, dome shaped structure. The Genesis Arc. The reason she had lost her Doctor in the first place. "Don't worry, I won't touch it," Lanie assured her.

"It's got millions of Daleks in it. I had to bring it with us. I couldn't leave that on the planet with Mum and Dad," Rose explained.

"Yeah, I figured that," Lanie said, staring at the dome. There was a strange look painted on her face, but Rose couldn't quite place it. She suspected that the girl knew something she didn't.

Rose turned to the console, and carefully placed her hand in the controls. The great metal ball shook, then suddenly took off at a velocity Rose couldn't have predicted. Both her and Lanie were thrown violently to the floor.

"Oi! You okay over there, Lanie?" Rose called, standing up and brushing herself off.

"Fine, thank you!" She had dusted herself off and was pacing the perimeter of the ship, curiously poking and prodding at pieces of the ship.

Rose put the girl out of her mind and tried to focus on the fact that soon, though she didn't know how soon, she would be in the Doctor's arms once more.

* * *

There was no time in the void, so Rose couldn't tell how long they had been flying the ship. The monitor indicated that they were still in the empty space between universes – the space that doesn't exist.

Lanie had fallen asleep on one of the couches in the ship, leaving Rose to her own devices. She had spent a considerable amount of time mourning the loss of her family, but she knew it was for the best. Once they reached Rose's home universe, she would start her life with her new family. She rested her hands on her abdomen, reveling in the feel of the baby half-human dancing in her womb. Her heart was beating fast with the anticipation of seeing the baby's father.

Suddenly, Lanie popped out of her slumber and stared at Rose with wide eyes. "Rose, the Genesis Arc!"

Rose looked over at the dome, which sat motionless near the wall of the spaceship. "It's not doing anything, Lanie. You were just having a bad dream."

Lanie, ignoring Rose's reassurance, started walking to the edge of the spaceship. Near the doors, she flipped a few switches. "Manual mode activated," a robotic voice said.

"Lanie, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Rose stood up and began to run toward the girl, who was busily typing a code into the keypad by the door.

"No time to explain. Hold on, Rose!" Lanie pried open the sliding metal doors of the ship. Rose caught hold of a handle on the console just as the doors slid apart to reveal a white nothingness beyond them. Rose hadn't expected whiteness – she had figured the void was a black expanse of nothing.

Rose felt herself being pulled toward the open doors, and was reminded of the day she lost the Doctor. She tightened her grip on the handle and watched as Lanie caught hold of a bar near the door. _Why the hell did I bring this kid with me? She's going to get us both killed!_ Rose thought.

Rose heard a large thud, and looked across the spaceship to the opposite wall. The Genesis Arc was lifting off the ground and being pulled to the void as well, just as its doors were starting to open. Now it all made sense – Lanie had knew that the Daleks would find a way out.

As the Arc flew toward the door of the ship, Daleks began spilling out and being sucked toward the void. As the Arc and the last of the Daleks flew out of the spaceship, Lanie swung her legs to kick a button on the wall. With a thud, the metal door slammed shut, sealing Lanie and Rose inside.

* * *

"Lanie," Rose demanded as she caught her breath, "what the hell just happened?"

The teenager gave Rose a proud smile. "Oh, just saved your life, that's all. Nothing to worry about."

Somehow, Lanie had seen it coming. Rose didn't care how, or why, but she was glad Lanie had come with her. She walked over to the girl and embraced her, leaning her cheek on the top of Lanie's head. "Thank you," she said into the girl's hair.

* * *

The console of the spaceship started beeping. Rose sprang up from the couch where she lay resting her sore ankles and ran to the monitor. "Lanie, I think we're here."

Rose and Lanie walked to the door of the spaceship, and the doors began to slide open. In front of them lay the city of London under a bright blue sky, but Rose didn't notice. In fact, she could not have cared less where they were, because standing right in front of her was a blue police call box. The TARDIS.


	12. Chapter 12

Her heart racing, Rose began to climb out of the void ship. She nearly forgot that there was a ten-foot drop from the doors to the ground, and Lanie saved the day once more by tossing a rope ladder out of the ship.

With sweaty palms, Rose grasped the ladder and made her way down to the solid ground of her home. Her legs were shaking and her baby was doing somersaults in her belly as she walked toward the TARDIS.

"Rose Tyler," called a familiar voice. Rose turned on the spot to see the Doctor walking towards her. There was no hint of his usual composure – tears were running down his face as he came forward. "I love you," he said. He wasted no time saying it this time around. Last time, his hesitation had nearly cost him everything.

Rose ran to the Doctor. Wrapping her arms around his shoulder, she pulled his face to hers and did what she had been longing to for months. She touched her lips to his, kissing him softly at first. His arms came to rest on the small of her back, holding her tightly as if he were afraid of losing her again. For months, he had longed to hold his Rose again – it felt surreal to finally kiss her again. Surreal, but amazing.

After a long moment, the Doctor pulled back from Rose's lips. He glanced down at her, for the first time noticing her protruding belly. "Oh, Rose," he said, placing both hands on her stomach. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Rose looked up at him. "Sorry? For what?" she asked. "This baby is the only thing that's been keeping me going for the past nearly seven months, Doctor. He's the reason I was able to come back to you. Don't you know that?"

"I'm not sorry that you're pregnant, Rose," the Doctor explained. "Not at all. When you told me, there on the beach, it nearly killed me that I wouldn't be able to meet our child, but I was happy that you would be the baby's mother. So I'm not sorry you're having my baby. I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you these past months. I'm sorry I wasn't there to kiss you, or to rub your back, or to tell you that you're beautiful. I'm sorry I wasn't able to talk to our baby through your belly while lying next to you at night, or to hold you while the hormones made you cry over silly things. I'm sorry I wasn't there, Rose." Dropping to his knees, the Doctor lifted Rose's tee shirt and planted a kiss on her belly. "I love you," he whispered once more.

Standing back up, the Doctor raised one eyebrow at Rose. "Did you say 'he'?" The Doctor motioned towards Rose's pregnant belly.

"Oh, no. Well yeah, I did, but I don't know what we're having." Rose chuckled and patted her belly. "Haven't been able to see the obstetrician since the first time. Two heartbeats would've been too difficult to explain."

"Two… you mean…" The Doctor looked toward Rose's belly once more.

"That's right. He takes after his father," Rose said, a smile breaking out across her face. "Oh!" She exclaimed, her hands jumping to her stomach.

"What is it? What's wrong? Is the baby okay?" the Doctor asked frantically.

"Please tell me you aren't going to be this jumpy after the baby's born," Rose teased. "It's nothing. The baby just kicked."

"Can I…" The doctor tentatively reached toward Rose.

"Here," she said, placing his hand beside her own. The Doctor's knees went weak at the feel of Rose's soft skin grasping his hand. _Rassilon, I missed that, _he thought.

For a moment, the Doctor looked nervous. Then, a wide grin spread over his face as he moved his hands across Rose's belly. "That's my baby…," he said as if he was realizing it for the first time. "I'm going to be a dad!"

His hands still feeling his child's movements, he leaned down and placed an enthusiastic kiss on Rose's lips. Rose placed her hands on her shoulders and ran her fingers through his hair. It felt so good to touch him, and to be touched by him. It was a feeling she once thought she'd never get to experience again, and now she never wanted to let him go.

"Hi there!" announced a high pitched, squeaky voice. Rose pulled away from the Doctor, her face flushed red.

"Oi! Who're you, then?" the Doctor asked, looking curiously at the blonde-haired, green-eyed girl in front of him.

"Doctor, this is Lanie," Rose introduced. The Doctor gave her a strange look. "Sorry I forgot to tell you before. She's been tagging along for a few months now, helping out and such. She's rather useful, actually." Lanie beamed. Continuing her explanation, Rose said, "she found a way to stun the Daleks, and saved both of our lives when the Genesis Arc opened."

"I suppose I owe my thanks to you then, Lanie," the Doctor said, nodding to Lanie before returning his intense gaze to Rose.

"No problem, Doctor," Lanie said proudly. She paused for a moment, staring into the Doctor's eyes with a strange look on her face. Then, she burst out laughing. "I'm gonna go explore. See you later!" she said, giggling to herself as she walked away.

"Lanie, be back by dark!" Rose called after the girl.

"Well, look at you, acting all motherly," the Doctor teased, putting his arm around Rose.

"She's become something of a little sister to me," Rose said, turning into the Doctor's embrace. "I feel rather protective of her."

"Where'd you find a psychic tween, anyway?" the Doctor inquired, motioning toward Lanie, who was happily skipping down the road.

"Long story – we found her trying to talk sense into a disabled Dalek." Understanding washed over Rose's face. "Wait a minute, did you say psychic? I knew it! But how did you know that?"

"She just read my mind," the Doctor explained. He looked at Rose with a dark, mischievous smile. "Which, I believe, is the reason she decided to give us some privacy. I really ought to censor my thoughts around that one," he said as he crushed his lips onto Rose's.

Rose pulled away from him after a moment. Smiling at the Doctor, her tongue poking out between her teeth, she whispered, "care to join me in the TARDIS?"


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: This chapter contains lemons. Skip it if you'll be offended.**

* * *

The Doctor led Rose through the wooden door of the TARDIS. _It's so good to be home,_ Rose thought. Since the day she met the Doctor, the spaceship had been more of a home to her than Earth.

"You're so beautiful," the Doctor whispered quietly. Rose's skin was radiant; it seemed to glow with her impending motherhood. Her hair was soft and shiny and fell down her face in just the right way. And, the first thing he had noticed when she got off of the void ship was that her already round, perky breasts had filled out in an unbelievably sexy way since he had last seen her.

"Would you stop staring at them already?" Rose stuck her tongue out at the Doctor, who smiled sheepishly as he knew he'd been caught.

The Doctor moved closer to Rose and gave her a quirky smile. Without warning, he reached out and grabbed her breasts. "Oh, my, they're so bouncy!" he exclaimed with an amused smile.

Rose moved away from him. "Doctor, if you want to do that, you'll have to seduce me first." She gave him a sexy smile.

He wasted no time sweeping Rose into his arms and placing a soft kiss on her lips. He held her as tight as her rounded belly would allow, running his hands through her silky hair. Rose opened her mouth cautiously, allowing the Doctor's tongue to sweep over her lips. The secure feeling of being in her arms made her heart beat faster, and tears of happiness began to run down her cheeks.

The Doctor pulled away as he felt the moistness on Rose's face. Staring deep into her hazel eyes, he ran his thumb across her cheek to wipe away her tears. "What is it, love?" he asked, concern in his voice.

"I'm just…" Rose couldn't think of a word powerful enough to describe the emotions running through her mind. "Relieved. And happy. Delighted, really. I missed you so much."

Smiling at his love, he placed a soft kiss where he had wiped away the tears before moving his lips back onto Rose's mouth. He held her so close to his body, captivated by the feeling of her in his arms, the scent of her hair, and the taste of her lips.

After a moment, Rose slowly pulled away from the Doctor. He whimpered at the emptiness in his arms, but then smiled as Rose grabbed his hand and began leading him down the winding hallway of the TARDIS, pausing by the door of his bedroom. Giving him one last sexy smile, she opened the door and went to sit on the edge of the bed.

"You're killing me, Rose," the Doctor said huskily as he went toward the woman he loved. Framing her face with his hands, he tilted her chin up and pressed his lips onto hers once more. His tongue explored her mouth, feeling the familiarity of it that he had been missing for more than half a year.

Rose's hands snaked between her and the Doctor and began working the buttons of his jacket. She made short work of it, and with the Doctor's help, began loosening his tie and removing his collared shirt. Soon he was bare from the waist up. Rose ran her hands over his body, feeling the hard muscles and smooth skin that she had missed so much. The Doctor leaned over and planted a kiss on Rose's forehead as he reached down to pull her shirt over her head, revealing a lacy black bra that could hardly contain Rose's breasts; they were spilling out over the top of the cups. The Doctor, who had been concealing a slight erection since Rose stepped out of the void ship, felt himself grow even harder at the sight.

He reached around Rose's back to unclasp her bra, then helped her slide the straps down her arms, finally revealing the beautiful, engorged breasts. Though he hadn't thought it to be possible, carrying the Doctor's child had made Rose even more beautiful. Her body looked even more womanly than it had before; not only had her breasts grown, but her hips had widened and curved in a seductive way. He ran his hands gently over the hills of her breasts, over the bulge of her belly, and down past her curvy hips.

Rose stood up off of her seat on the edge of the bed and came to stand in front of the Doctor, pressing her bare back into his naked chest. He slipped his arms around her, resting his hands on her extended belly while planting gentle kisses on the back of her neck. Rose gazed at herself and the Doctor in the mirror across the room. They looked as if they belonged together; they were complete. She smiled at the sight of her family – the love of her life with his arms draped around her, the smile on her own face as she realized how lucky she was, and the protrusion of her belly that held her child. The Doctor looked up from where his head was buried in Rose's hair and his eyes went wide at the sight in the mirror. A wave of intense feeling hit him, slow and rolling, as he realized that after all those years of travelling alone, he was complete.

Rose turned back to face he Doctor and gazed deeply into his eyes. His stare was intense, and reflected the relief he felt at finally holding his love after months of being separated. Rose's hands came to rest on the button of his trousers, and, while kissing the chiseled muscles of the Doctor's bare chest, she worked the button open. He placed his hands over hers and helped her slowly pull down his trousers, freeing his erection from where it had been pressed against the inside of his pants. He held Rose tightly once more, longing to feel himself within her again.

The Doctor bent at the knee, pausing to place a kiss on Rose's belly before slowly removing her sweatpants and the black lace knickers that matched the discarded bra. He reveled in the sight of her newly curved hips, running his hands along the smooth skin of them.

He guided Rose onto the bed, slowly guiding her down until she was lying beneath him. He was careful to support himself with his arms planted on either side of her, as to not let any of his weight rest upon the extended part of Rose's abdomen. He lowered his head to place kisses along Rose's collarbone, eliciting a soft moan from the woman he loved.

"Doctor," she moaned, feeling herself grow hot between her legs. "I want to feel you. Now."

Happy to satiate her needs, the Doctor carefully positioned himself between her legs. Rose reached down and positioned his length at her entrance, looking deeply into his eyes as she held him gently. Still propping himself up on his arms, he looked at the beautiful form of the woman lying beneath him as he slowly pressed into her.

The Doctor had to use every ounce of his will not to thrust into her wildly; he moved slowly into her before pulling himself out and delving inside of her once more. He moved cautiously, wary of the pregnant protrusion of Rose's belly, watching her face for any sign of pain or pleasure.

Rose had her eyes closed and was lost in the sensation of the Doctor filling the emptiness in her that had ached for him over the last six months. She softly moaned his name, eliciting a slightly stronger thrust on the Doctor's part.

Opening her eyes, she was met with a loving stare from the deep brown eyes of the Doctor. Smiling at the sight of the love in his eyes, she guided his hand between her legs, allowing him to stroke her most sensitive spot.

As his fingers worked between her legs, the Doctor could feel Rose nearing the brink of her orgasm, and the constriction of her inner muscles around him was more than he could handle. Still moving his fingers between her folds, he began thrusting into her faster. His fingers glided over her most sensitive spot, and he felt her muscles squeezing him as her orgasm hit her.

"Doctor," Rose moaned as she was hit with the intense wave of pleasure. He reached one hand up to cup her face, and slowly leaned down to kiss her as his own orgasm washed over him. He spilled himself into her, staring into her eyes the whole time, gazing at the beauty of the woman he loved.

Finally, he pulled himself out from within his satisfied lover and laid next to her on the bed. She moved closer to him, nuzzling herself in the valley between his shoulder and neck. He ran his hands over her perfect form, intoxicated by the soft fragrance of her hair. It felt so good to be able to hold her again. He never again wanted to have to live without her.

"Rose," he called softly to the woman nestled in his arms. Her eyes were closed, as if she were on the brink of sleep.

"Yeah?" she replied, raising her eyes to meet the Doctors.

"I, uh…" The Doctor couldn't believe the words that were about to come out of his mouth. "Well, um…"

"Oh, just spit it out already," Rose demanded in the most adorable of manners.

"Rose, I was wondering if maybe, since we're here on Earth already…" he hesitated, not sure how to continue. "I was wondering if maybe you'd want to marry me."


	14. Chapter 14

Rose, suddenly fully awake, sat up sharply on the bed where she was lying next to the Doctor. Did he really ask her to marry him? Her heart was beating quickly, and tears began to fall down her cheeks. "Doctor…" she finally managed to say.

_Dammit, that was stupid_, the Doctor thought to himself. _She doesn't want to marry you, and you've gone and made a complete fool of yourself_. Nervously, he choked out, "if… if you don't want to, I understand. I mean, I suppose there's really no reason to want to marry me, it's a rather hectic lifestyle, I know, I just thought that maybe, since –."

Rose leaned over and placed a soft kiss on the time lord's lips, cutting his rambling off mid-sentence. "Of course I'll marry you, Doctor."

His face broke out into a grin, and he nearly tackled her as he embraced the woman he loved. "Get dressed, I have something to show you," he said as he jumped off the bed and slipped into his trousers.

Rose got to her feet and began dressing in the clothes she had discarded. The Doctor was almost jumping with excitement as he waited for Rose by the door. Rose laughed at his giddiness, wondering what he had wanted to show her.

As soon as she had slipped into her tee shirt, the Doctor took her by the hand and pulled her down the hall. He stopped at a door that she remembered to be a small maintenance closet. "Do you want me to clean the TARDIS?" she asked, looking confusedly at the door.

Without a word, the Doctor swung the door open, giving Rose an excited grin. Stepping into the room, Rose could see that this room was most definitely not a broom closet. The room had expanded several times the size she remembered it being, and was decorated in all shades of blue. A white, wooden crib stood in the corner of the room, and above it hung a mobile with silver stars hanging from it. A changing table stood on the other side of the room, stocked with baby clothes in all sizes and colors. A wooden rocking chair sat next to a bookshelf lined with all sorts of children's' books, and a plush blue rug completed the room. The Doctor had decorated a nursery for their baby.

Rose was in shock. "How did you know I'd make it back here?" she asked the Doctor while walking around the room.

"Oh, I never doubted that you'd make it back to me," he said. He watched as Rose explored the nursery. "Look in the top drawer of the baby's dresser."

Rose gave him a baffled look, then followed his direction. In the top drawer, on top of a pile of miniature socks, lay a small, velvet-covered box. Rose looked at the Doctor. "Go on, open it!" he urged. Inside the box lay a beautiful ring, with a brilliant stone set in rose gold. At first Rose thought it must have been a diamond, but then she noticed that even in the shadows, the ring shone.

"It's a fire-stone, from Raxacoricofallapatorius," he explained. He walked and took Rose's hand, gently sliding the ring onto her finger. "I thought about a diamond, but I needed to find something as beautiful as you."

"Oh, Doctor…" she said, mesmerized by the ring. If the day she was left stranded in the parallel world had been the worst day of her life, this one was by far the best.

The Doctor looked down at her. "Rose, if you're going to be my wife, I think it's time I told you my real name."

"You mean… it's not Doctor?" Rose laughed as soon as the words came out of her mouth – of course his name wasn't "The Doctor".

The Doctor leaned down and whispered something in Rose's ear. Rose stared at him, wide-eyed, then kissed him on the lips.

"Do you mind if I still call you Doctor, though? I've grown accustomed to it. It suits you," she said, running her hands through his hair.

"Of course you can – but I thought that you should know."

* * *

A short time later, Lanie returned to the TARDIS. "Rose, Doctor! I'm back!" she called, prancing into the console room.

"Oh, hello Lanie." The Doctor had nearly forgotten that Rose had brought a friend along. "What have you been up to?"

"Oh, just exploring London," she replied. "There's no blimps here. It's rather odd." She looked at Rose. "Oh! When's the wedding?"

"Lanie, you've got to stop that. And we were thinking, maybe we'd just do it today? You know, go to the registrar and get it done." Rose patted her very pregnant belly. "No sense waiting any longer," she chuckled.

"I'll go get dressed!" Lanie said excitedly. "Rose, come on! We've got to find you a dress!"

Even though she'd never been in the TARDIS, Lanie knew that there was an extensive wardrobe inside of it. This didn't surprise Rose – she was beginning to grow accustomed to Lanie's mind-reading abilities.

To Rose's delight, the Doctor had somehow acquired a wedding dress that fit her, though it was slightly tight around her bugling belly. Lanie picked out a bright violet dress that made her already noticeable eyes even more radiant.

Walking back into the console room, Rose saw the Doctor freeze up at the sight of her in the dress. "Rose," he whispered. "You never fail to amaze me." Taking his future wife by the arm, the Doctor led the three of them through London – the Doctor in his pinstriped suit, Rose in her wedding dress, and Lanie in the neon purple dress. Rose was so elated, she didn't even notice the stares she got from the people passing her in the street.

* * *

They were married in a short ceremony at City Hall, with Lanie as their witness. The Doctor presented his psychic paper as identification, bypassing the one problem Rose could have foreseen in their plan. Rose cried her whole way through the ceremony, occasionally pinching herself to ensure that she wasn't dreaming.

On the way back to the TARDIS, Lanie presented Rose and the Doctor with a rock she insisted had healing powers as a wedding gift. Rose gave the Doctor a wink and pocketed the rock, expressing her gratitude.

The Doctor helped Lanie get settled into the room that had been Rose's before they had officially become a couple. Now that they were married, he suspected Rose wouldn't be needing it any longer.

His hearts swollen with the happiness and love he felt for Rose, he made his way back to his own bedroom where his new wife slept. He climbed into the bed next to her and laid a hand on her pregnant belly. She curled into his touch, and for the first time, they slept together as family.


	15. Chapter 15

As with most nights for the past month and a half, Rose was having trouble falling asleep. Before her pregnancy, she had slept on her stomach, but at nearly full term, that was no longer an option. Laying on her back, the baby would crush her insides, she tossed and turned from side to side, trying to find a comfortable position.

The Doctor was unconscious beside her, mumbling incoherently in his sleep. She watched him in his sleep, wondering what far away galaxies and years he was visiting in his dreams. They had spent most of the past two months in modern day London, as the Doctor knew Rose would be most comfortable there. Lanie had been exploring the city by herself during the days, leaving Rose and the Doctor to catch up on the months of each other's lives they had missed.

Rose had told him the story of how she got back to him, from the initial reconnaissance mission to the night she decided it was time to go. Tears welled up in his eyes as Rose described the months of morning sickness, backaches, swollen ankles, and whirlwind emotions she had endured in his absence. He held her tight, as if trying to make up for the months of pain he should've been there for.

The Doctor told Rose how, after she disappeared, he flew his TARDIS to the sights he had wanted her to see, exploring them by himself and feeling like one of his hearts was missing. He described the anguish he felt after the day at Bad Wolf Bay, knowing his love was pregnant but not being there to witness it. He told her of the hope that he had for Rose to find her way back to him.

Rose had just found a somewhat comfortable position by stuffing a pillow under her giant belly and arching her back, when a very unpleasant sensation hit her. She whimpered, holding her breath until the pain in her lower stomach ceased. _Don't panic_, Rose thought to herself while she caressed her belly. _It's probably nothing_. But a few minutes later, the pain hit her again.

"Doctor?" Rose pleaded. "Doctor, wake up!"

"Huh? Rose? What's the matter?" he asked groggily, pulling himself to a sitting position. "Are you alright?"

"Doctor," Rose said happily, "I think the baby's coming!"

* * *

"Lanie!" the Doctor was calling as he ran down the hall. His excitement was throwing off his usual graceful demeanor – he tripped and fell flat on his face, trying to run and put trousers on at the same time. "Lanie, get up!" He rapped on her door.

Already fully dressed, Lanie answered the door. "Where are we going, Doctor?" she asked him calmly, as if she had been fully expecting to see a half-dressed, disheveled Doctor at her door in the middle of the night. Then, the Doctor realized that may very well have been the case.

"2312," the Doctor replied. "It was a great century for the practice of medicine. And it's far enough in the future that they won't be surprised to see a baby with two hearts. Go down to the console room – I'll be there in a minute."

"Aye-aye, captain!" Lanie replied, saluting the Doctor.

* * *

"Push, Rose," the Doctor encouraged. "Push!"

"Oi, if you think it's that easy, the get in here and do it yourself!" Rose replied sarcastically. She was laying on a sterile white bed in a sterile white room, with a nurse with scaly, reptilian skin wearing a sterile white uniform. A tall, blue-tinted man with a tail was wearing a sterile white lab coat and was standing between Rose's legs, which were splayed out in the stirrups on the delivery table. She thought it odd that, after more than three hundred years, they still delivered babies this way. She figured they would've had a way to just "poof" them out of women by now.

A huge contraction hit Rose like a bullet, and she grimaced in pain. The Doctor leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead, but was swatted away by his angry, sweaty wife. "Just put the cool towel on my forehead and get away from me!" she snapped.

The man with the tail – the futuristic obstetrician – spoke to Rose. "Alright, Mrs. Tyler, it's time for you to push."

The Doctor chimed in – "See, I told you so!" and was met with a slap on the face from Rose.

Rose heaved and gave a great push. "I can see the head," the obstetrician said. The Doctor leaned forward to see, and his eyes widened as he walked back to the head of the bed, where he intended to stay for the duration of the delivery.

"Rose," the blue man directed, "give us one more push, and you'll be a mom."

Motivated by the thought of finally holding her baby, Rose pushed with all of her effort and felt a wave of relief as she heard her baby crying. Tears began falling down her face as the Doctor leaned over and kissed her. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for giving me a child."

The nurse had taken the baby from the obstetrician, and was wrapping him in a soft white blanket. "Congratulations, it's a boy!" she announced as she lay the baby on Rose's chest. "Good thing I painted the nursery blue," the Doctor stated.

Together, Rose and the Doctor peered down at their son. He was so tiny, and he fit so perfectly in his mother's arms. A tuft of red hair peeked out from within the blanket.

"Oi, he's a ginger!" the Doctor exclaimed happily. He reached down and, giving Rose a kiss on the forehead, took the half-time-lord into his arms. The baby immediately stopped crying at his father's touch. "Oh, look, Rose! He knows his daddy!"

Rose looked up at her husband. He was beaming, staring into his son's face. The emotion was written plainly on his face; his smile told of pride, happiness, and wholeness. Rose smiled at the sight of it. "So, what should we name him?" she finally asked.

"Well, I had a name in mind…" the Doctor said hesitantly. He placed his son in Rose's lap, then wrapped his arms around her.

"What is it, then?" Rose asked him, settling comfortably into his arms while she nestled the baby against her chest.

"Wolfe," the Doctor replied.

Rose smiled and looked down at her ginger-haired son. "Welcome to the world, Baby Wolfe!"


	16. Epilogue

**A/N: This is the final installment to the story. I hope you enjoyed it!**

* * *

**_Sixteen Years Later_**

"See you later, Mum," Wolfe called as he walked through the living room and made for the garage door.

"Hold it right there, young man," Rose snapped, catching her son by the arm. "Where on Earth do you think you're going without telling me?"

"When on Earth is the real question," the redhead said with a cheeky smile that Rose knew he must've inherited from his father. "I'm going a few months ahead to see the results of the World Cup. Gonna see which bets I should make."

Raising a half-time lord had been full of surprises, as neither Rose nor the Doctor knew of any other instances where a human and a time lord had a child. So, together and with Lanie's help, they stumbled through the foreign land of parenthood.

When Wolfe was a few months old, Rose had talked the Doctor into doing something he had vowed he'd rather die than have to do: get a mortgage. But, Rose argued that Wolfe should have something of a home on Earth, seeing as his mother had spent most of her life there. The Doctor reluctantly agreed, but not without argument as they signed the papers. Their small house in London became something of a vacation home; they returned to Earth when the family tradition of battling intergalactic aliens became a little too overwhelming.

Being the first of his kind, Wolfe was wildly unpredictable. Rose recalled the first time she had walked in to her newborn son's nursery only to see him glowing with a strange light. Frantically she had called the Doctor in, and they watched as their tiny son morphed into a slightly older version of the same baby. It appeared that Wolfe did not age in the traditional human way, nor in the way of the time lords, but rather in a combination of both species. His aging was not a gradual process, but rather a series of regenerations in which he became not a completely different person, but an older version of himself. As a young baby, he regenerated every few weeks, but gradually it slowed down to once a month, then once every few months, then finally once a year. Rose suspected that it was slowing down even more, as he hadn't regenerated on this day, his sixteenth birthday.

Wolfe had inherited the genetic time lord ability of flying the TARDIS, much to Rose's dismay and the Doctor's amusement. Rose often had nightmares about Wolfe flying away in the middle of the night to different eras and worlds, but the Doctor ensured her that without a key to the ship, he couldn't get very far.

Together, Wolfe's parents had homeschooled him, teaching him all the things that children should know, plus more. His favorite lessons were in history, as his father would fly him to centuries past to show him firsthand what the times were like. Rose was content to teach her son the more traditional subjects of math, reading, and science, though she did leave the physics to her husband.

Lanie had become something of an aunt to Wolfe, and the two were very close. While Rose and the Doctor dealt with the crises that always seemed to follow them, Lanie and Wolfe would often run off to explore the new lands to which the TARDIS brought them. The friendship between those two often became frustrating for Rose, however, because they seemed to be partners in crime. In fact, since Wolfe had reached his teen years, Lanie had used her psychic abilities to keep Rose from finding out that her son was going on dates with a girl from New Earth every time the family visited.

As annoying as they could be at times, Rose had to admit that Lanie's psychic powers did come in very useful throughout the years. When Wolfe was too young to join his parents on their adventures, Lanie kept watch over him and made sure to remove him from danger when she sensed it was approaching. And once Wolfe was old enough to make alien-fighting a family ordeal, Lanie always seemed to know exactly what to do when even the Doctor couldn't figure it out. As odd as she was, Rose never regretted her decision to bring Lanie across the void with her.

The four of them lived a happy life as an odd little family, and gave Wolfe as much of a normal upbringing as they could. The Doctor and Rose read him bedtime stories until he was old enough to find them boring, but Rose still insisted on kissing him goodnight every night. The Doctor and Rose were still going strong, though they had their arguments – whether or not Wolfe was old enough to leave the TARDIS on their trips, whether Lanie could keep the strangely glowing chunk of metal she found on one of the many planets they'd visited, or whether or not the Doctor could take Wolfe back in time to see his mother's awkward high school days. But, despite occasionally screaming at each other, they always seemed to end up smiling in each other's arms at the end of the day. They once considered having another child, but eventually came to decide that Wolfe was enough of a handful by himself.

Now it was Wolfe's sixteenth birthday, and the time seemed to have flown by. Rose held her son by his arm. "Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean you can go flying off to whenever you want. Besides, you couldn't even if you tried – you don't have a key to the TARDIS!" Rose reminded her son.

"That's where you're wrong, Mum," Wolfe said as he held up a shining key that hung on a chain around his neck. He gave her a snarky smile and tried to run off again, but his mother had a vice-like grip on his wrist.

"Doctor!" Rose yelled up the stairs. "Get down here right now!" She had made him promise that Wolfe would not be getting his first TARDIS key for several more years. She wanted him to wait until he was at least 21, but the Doctor apparently had other ideas.

"What is it, love?" the Doctor asked as he strolled casually into the room. He was eating marmalade out of the jar again – yet another habit that Rose found incredibly annoying, yet endearing at the same time.

"Would you care to tell me how our son got his hands on a TARDIS key?" Rose said, indicating the key slung around her son's neck. Wolfe beamed.

"Oh, come on, Rose! It's his birthday! I thought it would make a nice gift," he said with a smile that made it difficult for Rose to be mad at him.

"Doctor, might I remind you that our son is only sixteen years old?" Rose shook her head in disbelief – she had hoped it would be another few years before Wolfe flew the TARDIS on his own.

"Well then," the Doctor said with a cheeky smirk, "Might I remind you that you were only three years older than him when you received your first key?" Rose was about to defend herself when the Doctor cut her off. "And," he said dramatically, "I must say, he's quite a bit more mature than you were. After all, you went and ran off with a man you'd never met before for more than a year, without even telling your mother! How's that for responsibility?" He smiled at Rose and slung his arm around her shoulders. Rose couldn't help but smile back.

"Alright. Well, I suppose he's responsible enough to have a key." She turned to her son. "Take Lanie with you, will you? And be home by dark!"

Lanie popped into the room as if on cue. "Where are we going, Wolfe?" she asked, peering toward the boy she had come to know as her nephew.

"I'd like to see the scores for the World Cup, but I suppose Mum wouldn't approve of that," he said sarcastically, shooting a glance toward his mother.

"Oh, come on, you could just ask me for that!" Lanie said, rolling her eyes. "Let's go somewhere more interesting. Like going to ride a pterodactyl, or watching the end of the world," Lanie encouraged.

"Alright, you've made your point." Wolfe opened the garage door and stepped inside, with Lanie disappearing after him a moment later.

Rose snuggled into her husband's embrace. "Do you think he'll be alright?" she asked nervously.

The Doctor held her close and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. Rose had only grown more beautiful with age. She was just over thirty-five years old, but she didn't look a day older than when he had met her, though perhaps she looked more mature. The Doctor rested his head on her soft blonde hair. "Oh, he'll be fine. He's got Lanie – he's in good hands."

"I hope so," Rose said, reveling in the sensation of being held by the one she loved. She supposed she didn't say it enough, but she could not have been happier with the way her life turned out. Though she hadn't talked to her mum or dad in sixteen years, she knew they'd be proud of the life their daughter led. Rose felt a similar pride in the young man Wolfe had grown to be.

Though she tried not to worry about the future, Rose often did. However, there was comfort in the fact that the Doctor insisted that a half-time lord would have the life span of a time lord. Looking up at her husband, nestled in his arms, she was comforted knowing that long after she was gone, the Doctor would not be alone. Her son, the other love of her life, would continue the adventure that she had started with the Doctor nearly seventeen years ago.


End file.
